Scheme for Providing Regulatory Compliance in Performing Network Selection in a Foreign Country

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a scheme is disclosed for network selection in a user equipment (UE) device. A determination is made that a network identified by a received network identity code is an equivalent home network with respect to a subscriber identity associated with the UE device. Responsive to that determination, a further determination is made that the equivalent home network is in a geographic region of a home country associated with the subscriber identity, whereupon a scanning of all equivalent home networks is performed in accordance with the scanning procedures specified for the geographic region.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §120 & 37 C.F.R. §1.78

This nonprovisional application is a continuation application claimingthe benefit of the following prior United States patent applicationentitled: “SCHEME FOR PROVIDING REGULATORY COMPLIANCE IN PERFORMINGNETWORK SELECTION IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY”, filed Jan. 14, 2005,application Ser. No. 11/035,510 (Attorney Docket No. 1400-1020US; ClientNo. 12728-US-PAT), which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present patent disclosure generally relates to communicationnetworks. More particularly, and not by way of any limitation, thepresent patent application is directed to a scheme for providingregulatory compliance in performing network selection in a foreigncountry.

BACKGROUND

Wireless telephony standards such as the 3^(rd) Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP) specifications have defined two sets of network scanningfunctionality for a wireless user equipment (UE) device depending onwhether the device is located in its home country or not. Thesefunctions are set forth in the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.122Non-Access Stratum (NAS) Functions Related to Mobile Station (MS) inIdle Mode, incorporated by reference herein. Additional functionalitycurrently being developed allows an operator to define a number ofnetworks as equivalent to a home network associated with a UE device.Certain issues such as regulatory and procedural compliance can arise,however, where the UE device attempts to obtain service in an equivalentnetwork that is provisioned in a foreign country.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the embodiments of the present patentdisclosure may be had by reference to the following Detailed Descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a generalized network environment wherein an embodimentof the present patent disclosure may be practiced;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a network environment where awireless UE device is operably disposed for network discovery andselection in accordance with the teachings of the present patentdisclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3C depict exemplary database structures which may be providedwith a UE device in accordance with the teachings of the present patentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of an embodiment of a network selectionmethod;

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary message flow diagram of the present patentdisclosure; and

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE wireless deviceoperable to perform network selection procedures set forth according tothe teachings of the present patent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is generally directed to a scheme forfacilitating network selection in a user equipment (UE) device. Adetermination is made that a network identified by a received networkidentity code is an equivalent home network with respect to a subscriberidentity associated with the UE device. Responsive to thatdetermination, a further determination is made that the equivalent homenetwork is in a geographic region of a home country associated with thesubscriber identity, whereupon a scanning of all equivalent homenetworks is performed in accordance with the scanning proceduresspecified for the geographic region.

In another embodiment, a network selection method in a UE devicecomprises one or more of the following: determining that a networkidentified by a received network identity code is an equivalent homenetwork with respect to a subscriber identity associated with the UEdevice; and responsive to the determining, further determining that theequivalent home network is in a geographic region different from a homecountry associated with the subscriber identity, whereupon performingnetwork scanning in accordance with scanning procedures specified forthe geographic region.

In another aspect, an embodiment of a UE device is disclosed. Theclaimed embodiment comprises one or more of the following: a componentconfigured to determine that a network identified by a received networkidentity code is an equivalent home network with respect to a subscriberidentity associated with the UE device; a component, operable responsiveto the determining, configured to further determine that the equivalenthome network is in a geographic region of a home country associated withthe subscriber identity; and a component configured to perform networkscanning of all equivalent home networks in accordance with scanningprocedures specified for the geographic region. Yet another embodimentof a UE device comprises one or more of the following: a componentconfigured to determine that a network identified by a received networkidentity code is an equivalent home network with respect to a subscriberidentity associated with the UE device; a component, operable responsiveto the determining, configured to further determine that the equivalenthome network is in a geographic region different from a home countryassociated with the subscriber identity; and a component configured toperform network scanning in accordance with scanning proceduresspecified for the geographic region, provided the geographic region isdetermined to be different from the home country.

A system and method of the present patent disclosure will now bedescribed with reference to various examples of how the embodiments canbest be made and used. Like reference numerals are used throughout thedescription and several views of the drawings to indicate like orcorresponding parts, wherein the various elements are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly toFIG. 1, depicted therein is an exemplary generalized network environment100 wherein an embodiment of the present patent disclosure may bepracticed. A user equipment (UE) device 102 may comprise any portablecomputer (e.g., laptops, palmtops, or handheld computing devices) or amobile communications device (e.g., cellular phones or data-enabledhandheld devices capable of receiving and sending messages, webbrowsing, et cetera), or any enhanced personal digital assistant (PDA)device or integrated information appliance capable of email, video mail,Internet access, corporate data access, messaging, calendaring andscheduling, information management, and the like, that is preferablyoperable in one or more modes of operation and in a number of frequencybands. For example, UE device 102 may operate in the cellular telephonyband frequencies as well as wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) bands.Further, other bands in which the UE device could operate wirelessly maycomprise Wi-Max bands or one or more satellite bands. By way ofillustration, the network environment 100 is comprised of two broadcategories of communication spaces capable of providing service to UEdevice 102 wherein access to a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) may beaccomplished in accordance with the teachings set forth herein. In widearea cellular network (WACN) space 104, there may exist any number ofPLMNs that are operable to provide cellular telephony services which mayor may not include packet-switched data services. Depending on thecoverage area(s) and whether the user is roaming, WACN space 104 caninclude a number of home networks 110 (i.e., home PLMNs or HPLMNs, orequivalent HPLMNs or EHPLMNs), visited networks (i.e., VPLMNs) 112, eachwith appropriate infrastructure such as Home Location Register (HLR)nodes 115, Mobile Switching Center (MSC) nodes 116, and the like. Sincethe WACN space 104 may also include a General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) network that provides a packet radio access for mobile devicesusing the cellular infrastructure of a Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM)-based carrier network, a Serving GPRS Support Node(SGSN) 114 is exemplified therein. Additionally, by way ofgeneralization, the PLMNs of the WACN space 104 may comprise networksselected from the group consisting of an Enhanced Data Rates for GSMEvolution (EDGE) network, an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN),a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA) network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) network, or any 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project(3GPP)-compliant network (e.g., 3GPP or 3GPP2), all operating with wellknown frequency bandwidths and protocols.

Further, UE device 102 is operable to obtain service from an accessnetwork (AN) space 106 that is connected to the WACN space 104. In oneimplementation, the AN space 106 includes one or more generic accessnetworks (GANs) 118 as well as any type of wireless LAN (WLAN)arrangements 120, both of which may be generalized as any AN that isoperable to provide access services between UE device 102 and a PLMNcore network using a broadband Internet Protocol (IP)-based network.WLAN arrangements 120 provide short-range wireless connectivity to UEdevice 102 via access points (APs) or “hot spots,” and can beimplemented using a variety of standards, e.g., IEEE 802.11b, IEEE802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, HiperLan and HiperLan II standards, Wi-Maxstandard, OpenAir standard, and the Bluetooth standard.

In one embodiment, interfacing between the WACN and AN spaces may beeffectuated in accordance with certain standards. For instance, GAN 118may be interfaced with one or more PLMNs using the procedures set forthin the 3GPP TR 43.901 and 3GPP TS 43.xxx documents as well as relateddocumentation. Likewise, WLAN 120 may interfaced with at least one PLMNcore using the procedures set forth in the 3GPP TS 22.234, 3GPP TS23.234 and 3GPP TS 24.234 documents as well as related documentation,and may therefore be referred to as an Interworking WLAN (I-WLAN)arrangement. For purposes of the present patent disclosure, thesestandards are incorporated by reference where applicable.

It should further be realized that any portion of the networkenvironment 100, either the WACN space 104, the AN space 106, or both,may include a location area that is outside the home country or regionassociated with the subscriber of the UE device. As set forth in 3GPP TS23.122, two sets of network scanning functionality are defined for theUE device 102. One set of network scanning procedures are applicablewhen the UE device 102 is located within its home country or homeregion. On the other hand, a second set of network scanning proceduresare provided when the UE device 102 is not in its home country.Accordingly, depending on where the location area is, the UE device 102is operable to execute appropriate scanning procedures even when anEHPLMN is discovered in a foreign country, as will be described indetail hereinbelow.

To formalize the teachings of the present disclosure, reference is nowtaken to FIG. 2 wherein an exemplary embodiment of a network environment200 is shown that is a more concrete subset of the generalized networkenvironment 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. As depicted, wireless UE device102 is operably disposed for discovering a set of PLMNs that allowaccess via conventional radio access network (RAN) infrastructure inaddition to having connectivity with one or more ANs accessible to UEdevice 102. By way of example, AN-1 202-1 through AN-N 202-N, which arenow generalized for purposes of the present patent disclosure to includeany type of GAN, WLAN and/or I-WLAN arrangements (known or heretoforeunknown), are operable to provide access to one or more PLMNs oncediscovered by the UE device. As illustrated, a wireless AN may supportconnectivity to one or more PLMNs, or none at all, which can includeVPLMNs 204-1 through 204-M as well as HPLMNs (e.g., HPLMN 206) and oneor more EHPLMNs 208 with respect to UE device 102. Where AN-PLMNconnectivity is supported, which PLMNs behind a particular AN arevisible to UE device 102 may depend on a number of commercial factors,e.g., contractual arrangements between AN operators and PLMN operators.By way of illustration, AN-1 202-1 supports connectivity to VPLMN-1204-1, VPLMN-204-2, and EHPLMN(s) 208. Likewise, AN-2 202-1 supportsconnectivity to VPLMN-M 204-M as well as to HPLMN 206 and EHPLMN(s) 208.On the other hand, AN-N 202-N has no connectivity to the wide areaPLMNs. Furthermore, in addition to being able to discover the variousPLMNs via a wireless AN, UE 102 is also operable to scan the cellularbands to discover the PLMNs directly. Regardless of how the PLMNs arediscovered, at any rate, one or more of the VPLMNs and/or EHPLMNs may belocated outside the home country of the UE device 102.

As is well known, each of the wide area cellular PLMNs may be arrangedas a number of cells, with each cell having sectors (e.g., typicallythree 120-degree sectors per base station (BS) or cell). Each individualcell is provided with a Cell Global Identification (CGI) parameter toidentify them. A group of cells is commonly designated as a LocationArea (LA) and may be identified by an LA Identifier (LAI). At the macrolevel, the PLMNs may be identified in accordance with the underlyingcellular technology. For example, GSM-based PLMNs may be identified byan identifier comprised of a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and MobileNetwork Code (MNC). The CDMA/TDMA-based PLMNs may be identified by aSystem Identification (SID) parameter and/or a Network Identification(NID) parameter. Irrespective of the cellular infrastructure, all cellsbroadcast the macro level PLMN identifiers (i.e., network identitycodes) such that a wireless device (e.g., UE device 102) wishing toobtain service can identify the wireless network as well as itsgeographic location.

Additionally, a subscriber is also given a unique identifier which canvary depending on the underlying cellular infrastructure and may beconstructed at least in part from some of the parametrics that are usedin constructing the network identifiers. In GSM, for example, anInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) parameter uniquelyidentifies the subscriber and is constructed as [MCC][MNC][MIN], where[MCC] identifies the country that the subscriber is from (i.e., thesubscriber's home country/region), [MNC] identifies the PLMN network,and [MIN] is the unique ID that identifies the mobile unit (i.e., the UEwireless device) within the network. In some situations, a singlecountry or geographic region (e.g., North America) may have multiplecountry codes (i.e., MCCs) assigned to it, although the entire region isregulated by the same scanning functionality requirements (i.e., acommon set of scanning procedures).

For purposes of illustration, the embodiments of the present patentdisclosure will be particularly exemplified in reference to GSMnetworks, although it should be appreciated that the teachings set forthherein may be applied mutatis mutandis in other cellular networks aswell.

FIGS. 3A-3C depict exemplary database structures which may be providedwith a UE device for facilitating network selection and regulatorycompliance in accordance with one embodiment. Reference numeral 300Arefers to a basic database structure that comprises a list of [MCC] 302Aand [MNC] 302B combinations that may be identified as being the samenetworks. In the case of equivalent networks, the [MCC][MNC]combinations may identify a set of EHPLMNs (foreign or otherwise) forthe IMSI associated with the subscriber. Reference numerals 304, 306 and308 refer to three exemplary networks, wherein networks 304 and 306share the same [MCC], i.e., [ABC], and networks 304 and 308 share thesame [MNC] (i.e., [XYZ]). In one exemplary embodiment, the datastructure 300A may be stored as an elementary file (EF) structure on aSubscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or Removable User Identity Module(RUIM) card operable with a wireless UE device. In another embodiment,the data structure 300A could be stored in a memory module integratedwith the wireless UE device.

Reference numeral 300B refers to an enhanced database structure whereadditional information may be provided for facilitating networkselection. A Master [MCC][MNC] column 320 identifies the [MCC] and [MNC]combinations that match the IMSI's [MCC]/[MNC] part (i.e., Master HomePLMN). A network name column 322 identifies the master network by name.A home network (EHPLMN) column 324 includes a list of home networks foreach of the Master [MCC] [MNC] pairs. In one implementation, the [MCC][MNC] combinations identifying the home networks may be provided in apriority order. For example, a positional priority may be implementedwherein an [MCC] [MNC] combination at the top has a higher priority overthe one below it, or an [MCC] [MNC] combination to the left has a higherpriority over the one to the right. An explicit priority ranking mayalso be provided wherein an indicator indicating the priority of thePLMN is appended to the database structure 300B. For instance, a valueof [0] may indicate the highest priority. Where there is no priorityindicator stored, all PLMNs have equal priority. Additionally, althoughnot shown in FIG. 3B, an indicium column may also be provided foruniquely identifying each PLMN listed in the home network list 324,wherein the indicium may comprise a unique identity name that caninclude some reference to the Master [MCC][MNC] pair or the network nameassociated therewith.

Referring now to FIG. 3C, a data structure 300C includes a mappingrelationship between various geographic entities 350 (i.e., individualcountries and supra-national geographic regions such as North America,the European Economic Community, et cetera) and geographic region codes352 associated therewith. In a presently preferred exemplary embodiment,where a region/country has multiple country codes assigned to it, theyare stored in such a way that all of them are associated with orotherwise mapped to the single geographic entity, which typicallyoperates under a common mobile communications regulatory regime. Itshould be appreciated by one skilled in the art that this arrangementallows the wireless UE device to determine what country it is in whenexamining the country code of a PLMN it is receiving service from. Byway of example, there are seven [MCC] values, 310 to 316, assigned toNorth America 354. Another exemplary entity, a single country ABCD 356,may also be provided with multiple [MCC] values, e.g., from 123 to 125.In another example, a geographic entity EFGH 358 is assigned only one[MCC], e.g., 510. As alluded to before, the data structure 300C may beprovided as part of a storage module integrated with the wireless UEdevice.

In one implementation, the wireless UE device is operable upon power-upto determine the capability of the SIM/RUIM card that has been insertedinto it. If the wireless device discovers that the SIM/RUIM cardcontains a list of EHPLMNs, the device uses the list for subsequentnetwork selection operations. If the SIM/RUIM card does not contain alist of PLMNs, the wireless device is operable to read the IMSI of thesubscriber. Thereafter, if the wireless device is provided with storedhome network lists in its memory for the [MCC] [MNC] pairs of the IMSI,the stored PLMN database may then be used to find the list of HPLMNsassociated with a particular IMSI. Otherwise, the wireless UE device isoperable to perform network discovery procedures as currently specified.

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of an embodiment of a network selectionmethod wherein a foreign country may be involved. As illustrated, thewireless UE device is operable to scan in one or more frequency bandsthat it supports in a wideband scanning procedure to discover allavailable PLMNs in a location area where the device is disposed. Uponreceiving a network identity code from a network node (block 402), adetermination is made whether the network is an equivalent home network(e.g., EHPLMN) with respect to a subscriber identity associated with theUE device (block 404). Preferably, this determination may be performedby appropriate UE device logic for examining a stored list of MCCs suchas described in detail hereinabove. If the discovered network is not ahome network or its equivalent, the UE device may then proceed withapplicable network procedures in a conventional manner (block 412). Onthe other hand, if the discovered network is an EHPLMN, a furtherdetermination is made whether the network is found to be in the samecountry/geographic region as the region from which the subscriberidentity (e.g., IMSI) originates (block 406). This determination may beperformed by examining the geographic code portion of the networkidentity code (e.g., the [MCC] of the [MCC,MNC] combination) andcorrelating it with the [MCC] of the IMSI. If the [MCC] of theequivalent home network is found to be in the same geographic region asthat of the IMSI, then the UE device is operable to perform networkscanning in accordance with scanning procedures specified for the homecountry of the subscriber identity (block 408). Thereafter, the UEdevice continues with network registration in a conventional manner(block 410). Otherwise, if the [MCC] of the equivalent home network isfound to be in a geographic region that is different from the homecountry of the IMSI, i.e., a foreign geographic region, the UE device isoperable to perform network scanning in accordance with the scanningprocedures specified for the foreign country/region as identified in thereceived network identity code (block 414). Where the scanning processfor the foreign country does not result in the establishment of asuccessful connection with the PLMN (block 416), the UE may revert tothe scanning procedures specified for its home country, even though itis still located in a foreign country. Otherwise, it may continue withthe foreign PLMN in a conventional manner (block 418).

As a further variation, some of the PLMNs (whether home or foreign) maybe discovered by the UE via a suitable wireless AN scanning process thatis effectuated in a frequency band compliant with a WLAN standardselected from the group consisting of: IEEE 802.11b standard, IEEE802.11a standard, IEEE 802.11g standard, HiperLan standard, HiperLan IIstandard, Wi-Max standard, OpenAir standard, and Bluetooth standard. Byway of example, where the UE is dual mode capable and when the UE findsa PLMN, it stores the network's identity (e.g., [MCC] [MNC] combination)in memory or SIM or RUIM card associated with the user, until no morePLMNs can be found. As a further variation, in addition to storing the[MCC, MNC] combinations of all discovered PLMNs, the UE is capable ofstoring if a particular PLMN is GPRS capable or not, where suchcapability may be broadcast from the PLMN infrastructure. The UE isoperable to perform network discovery procedures for WLAN as defined incurrent 3GPP TS 23.234 and 3GPP TS 24.234 specifications (incorporatedby reference herein). If the WLAN finds a Service Set ID (SSID) that itknows is the HPLMN, the UE authenticates with that WLAN using the RootNetwork Access Identifier (NAI). Otherwise, the UE performs networkdiscovery as specified in the 3GPP TS 23.234 and 3GPP TS 24.234specifications. As a further variation, in addition to the SSID listsdefined in the 3GPP specifications for WLAN access, extra SSID/PLMNlists and associated filtering criteria can be stored so that the UE isnot only aware of the WLANs that support PLMN access, but a mechanism isprovided thereby to speed up network selection as well asoptimize/customize the user experience. By way of illustration, thefollowing lists may be defined:

-   -   Operator-controlled Preferred SSIDs for WLAN access;    -   User-controlled SSIDs for WLAN access;    -   Forbidden SSIDs for WLAN access;    -   Operator-controlled Preferred PLMNs for WLAN access;    -   User-controlled PLMNs for WLAN access;    -   Forbidden PLMNs for WLAN access;        wherein the priority of the SSID and PLMN is dictated by its        position in the list.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary message flow diagram in reference to themethodology set forth above. A network node 504 is operable to broadcastinformation via associated control channel over the air interface 502.In accordance with the teachings of the present patent disclosure, thenetwork node 504 may comprise a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) nodedeployed in a particular cellular network. Reference numerals 506-1through 506-N refer to the control channel messages that are broadcastby the network node 504 at a designated repetition rate. In oneimplementation, the broadcast information may include network identityinformation, capability information, adjacent cell information, amongother types of information. In idle mode, UE 102 is operable to read thebroadcast information over the air interface 502 and determineapplicable scanning procedures (block 510) based upon the receivedcountry code and its correlation with the stored database structures.Upon determining appropriate procedures in accordance with applicableregulatory requirements, UE 102 is able to effectuate registration 512with the network node 504.

Those skilled in the art should recognize that although the network node504 is exemplified as a PLMN node, it is within the scope of the presentdisclosure to provide a WLAN node as the network node whereinappropriate scanning selection procedures as well as regulatorycompliance procedures may be performed.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE wireless device600 operable to perform network and scanning selection procedures setforth according to the teachings of the present patent disclosure. Itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference hereto thatalthough an embodiment of UE 102 discussed above may comprise anarrangement similar to one shown in FIG. 6, there can be a number ofvariations and modifications, in hardware, software or firmware, withrespect to the various modules depicted. Accordingly, the arrangement ofFIG. 6 should be taken as illustrative rather than limiting with respectto the embodiments of the present patent disclosure. A microprocessor602 providing for the overall control of UE 600 is operably coupled to acommunication subsystem 604 which includes transmitter/receiver(transceiver) functionality for effectuating multi-mode communicationsover a plurality of bands. By way of example, a wide area wireless Tx/Rxmodule 606 and a wireless AN Tx/Rx module 608 are illustrated. Althoughnot particularly shown, each Tx/Rx module may include other associatedcomponents such as one or more local oscillator (LO) modules, RFswitches, RF bandpass filters, A/D and D/A converters, processingmodules such as digital signal processors (DSPs), local memory, etc. Aswill be apparent to those skilled in the field of communications, theparticular design of the communication subsystem 604 may be dependentupon the communications networks with which the UE device is intended tooperate. In one embodiment, the communication subsystem 604 is operablewith both voice and data communications.

Microprocessor 602 also interfaces with further device subsystems suchas auxiliary input/output (I/O) 618, serial port 620, display 622,keyboard 624, speaker 626, microphone 628, random access memory (RAM)630, a short-range communications subsystem 632, and any other devicesubsystems generally labeled as reference numeral 633. To controlaccess, a SIM/RUIM interface 634 is also provided in communication withthe microprocessor 602. In one implementation, SIM/RUIM interface 634 isoperable with a SIM/RUIM card having a number of key configurations 644and other information 646 such as identification and subscriber-relateddata as well as one or more SSID/PLMN lists and filters described indetail hereinabove.

Operating system software and other control software may be embodied ina persistent storage module (i.e., non-volatile storage) such as Flashmemory 635. In one implementation, Flash memory 635 may be segregatedinto different areas, e.g., storage area for computer programs 636 aswell as data storage regions such as device state 637, address book 639,other personal information manager (PIM) data 641, and other datastorage areas generally labeled as reference numeral 643. Additionally,appropriate network discovery and scanning selection logic 640 may beprovided as part of the persistent storage for executing the variousscanning selection procedures, correlation techniques, and relatedmechanisms set forth in the preceding sections. Associated therewith isa storage module 638 for storing the SSID/PLMN lists, country/geographiccodes, selection/scanning filters, capability indicators, et cetera,also described in detail hereinabove.

It is believed that the operation and construction of the embodiments ofthe present patent application will be apparent from the DetailedDescription set forth above. While the exemplary embodiments shown anddescribed may have been characterized as being preferred, it should bereadily understood that various changes and modifications could be madetherein without departing from the scope of the present invention as setforth in the following claims.

1. A network selection method in a user equipment (UE) device, saidmethod comprising: determining that a network identified by a receivednetwork identity code is an equivalent home network with respect to asubscriber identity associated with said UE device; and responsive tosaid determining, further determining that said equivalent home networkis in a geographic region of a home country associated with saidsubscriber identity, whereupon performing network scanning of allequivalent home networks in accordance with scanning proceduresspecified for said geographic region.
 2. The network selection method asrecited in claim 1, wherein said received network identity codeidentifies a network that comprises one of a General Packet RadioService (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for Global System forMobile Communications (GSM) Evolution (EDGE) network, a 3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant network, an IntegratedDigital Enhanced Network (IDEN), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network,and a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network.
 3. The networkselection method as recited in claim 1, wherein said received networkidentity code comprises a combination of a Mobile Country Code (MCC) anda Mobile Network Code (MNC).
 4. The network selection method as recitedin claim 1, wherein said subscriber identity comprises an InternationalMobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) parameter.
 5. The network selectionmethod as recited in claim 1, wherein said received network identitycode identifies a network that comprises a wireless access networkoperable with one of IEEE 802.11b standard, IEEE 802.11a standard, IEEE802.11g standard, HiperLan standard, HiperLan II standard, Wi-Maxstandard, OpenAir standard, and Bluetooth standard.
 6. The networkselection method as recited in claim 1, wherein said network identitycode comprises a System Identification (SID) parameter.
 7. A userequipment (UE) device, comprising: a component configured to determinethat a network identified by a received network identity code is anequivalent home network with respect to a subscriber identity associatedwith said UE device; a component, operable responsive to saiddetermining, configured to further determine that said equivalent homenetwork is in a geographic region of a home country associated with saidsubscriber identity; and a component configured to perform networkscanning of all equivalent home networks in accordance with scanningprocedures specified for said geographic region.
 8. The UE device asrecited in claim 7, wherein said received network identity codeidentifies a network that comprises one of a General Packet RadioService (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for Global System forMobile Communications (GSM) Evolution (EDGE) network, a 3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant network, an IntegratedDigital Enhanced Network (IDEN), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network,and a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network.
 9. The UE device asrecited in claim 7, wherein said received network identity codecomprises a combination of a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a MobileNetwork Code (MNC).
 10. The UE device as recited in claim 7, whereinsaid subscriber identity comprises an International Mobile SubscriberIdentity (IMSI) parameter.
 11. The UE device as recited in claim 7,wherein said received network identity code identifies a network thatcomprises a wireless access network operable with one of IEEE 802.11bstandard, IEEE 802.11a standard, IEEE 802.11g standard, HiperLanstandard, HiperLan II standard, Wi-Max standard, OpenAir standard, andBluetooth standard.
 12. The UE device as recited in claim 7, whereinsaid network identity code comprises a System Identification (SID)parameter.
 13. A network selection method in a user equipment (UE)device, said method comprising: determining that a network identified bya received network identity code is an equivalent home network withrespect to a subscriber identity associated with said UE device; andresponsive to said determining, further determining that said equivalenthome network is in a geographic region different from a home countryassociated with said subscriber identity, whereupon performing networkscanning in accordance with scanning procedures specified for saidgeographic region.
 14. The network selection method as recited in claim13, wherein said received network identity code identifies a networkthat comprises one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, anEnhanced Data Rates for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)Evolution (EDGE) network, a 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project(3GPP)-compliant network, an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN),a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) network, and a Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA) network.
 15. The network selection method as recited inclaim 13, wherein said received network identity code comprises acombination of a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code(MNC).
 16. The network selection method as recited in claim 13, whereinsaid subscriber identity comprises an International Mobile SubscriberIdentity (IMSI) parameter.
 17. The network selection method as recitedin claim 13, wherein said received network identity code identifies anetwork that comprises a wireless access network operable with one ofIEEE 802.11b standard, IEEE 802.11a standard, IEEE 802.11g standard,HiperLan standard, HiperLan II standard, Wi-Max standard, OpenAirstandard, and Bluetooth standard.
 18. The network selection method asrecited in claim 13, wherein said network identity code comprises aSystem Identification (SID) parameter.
 19. A user equipment (UE) device,comprising: a component configured to determine that a networkidentified by a received network identity code is an equivalent homenetwork with respect to a subscriber identity associated with said UEdevice; a component, operable responsive to said determining, configuredto further determine that said equivalent home network is in ageographic region different from a home country associated with saidsubscriber identity; and a component configured to perform networkscanning in accordance with scanning procedures specified for saidgeographic region, provided said geographic region is determined to bedifferent from said home country.
 20. The UE device as recited in claim19, wherein said received network identity code identifies a networkthat comprises one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, anEnhanced Data Rates for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)Evolution (EDGE) network, a 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project(3GPP)-compliant network, an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN),a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) network, and a Time Division MultipleAccess (TDMA) network.
 21. The UE device as recited in claim 19, whereinsaid received network identity code comprises a combination of a MobileCountry Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC).
 22. The UE device asrecited in claim 19, wherein said subscriber identity comprises anInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) parameter.
 23. The UEdevice as recited in claim 19, wherein said received network identitycode identifies a network that comprises a wireless access networkoperable with one of IEEE 802.11b standard, IEEE 802.11a standard, IEEE802.11g standard, HiperLan standard, HiperLan II standard, Wi-Maxstandard, OpenAir standard, and Bluetooth standard.
 24. The UE device asrecited in claim 19, wherein said network identity code comprises aSystem Identification (SID) parameter.